St. Patty's Day is REALLY a thing here in the State of New York. I felt like in the Bay Area people would wear green and it was a nice excuse to have a pint, maybe. But in these parts, on parade day, you'd better go out and get yourself a hat so you have something to hold the F onto.
it is also my bro-in-law's bday. he always takes the day off from work, and hangs out as some Irish pub all day starting about 1200p.
last year i drove down to Philly for this for the first time. if i had planned it better i would be there right now. Tue's are harder for heavy day-drinking since i teach my class at 700p
The main difference between whisky (no 'e') and whiskey (with 'e') is geographical, generally denoting the country of origin rather than the liquid itself. Whisky typically refers to spirits produced in Scotland, Canada, Japan, and Australia, while whiskey is generally used for products from Ireland and the United
Jameson Irish Whiskey holds a special place in the hearts of people here. I think everyone recognizes that it's not top shelf stuff, but that means that people grew up drinking it. It's probably the area's most comfortable and familiar spirit, and the most gifted.
Or your father is James and you've got Nordic roots.
Even so, I'd argue that (1) it should be spelled Jamesson in that case and (2) why would you deliberately give your child up to likely ridicule because his first name is the same as a well-known whiskey.
EDIT: we recently had an employee (who is probably 40+) whose initials are KKK. This is an example of child abuse, in my mind. What parent gives their child a name whose initials translate to a hate group?
The Dodgers opened up their final week of Cactus League play with a lopsided defeat against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, relinquishing a seven-run lead and falling 24-9.
Once Japan lost against Venezuela in the quarter finals of the WBC on Saturday, I cancelled my flight and hotels and listed my championship game ticket on StubHub. It took a while but it got sold immediately following last night's game ended. So I have to thank Venezuela for winning last night.
BERKELEY - The California lacrosse team (5-6) scored 10 consecutive goals in the second half to turn a two-point deficit midway through the third period into a runaway 18-10 victory over Marist (1-7) in a nonconference game at California Memorial Stadium on Monday. The 18 goals were Cal's season high.
Yay! Good thing we're scheduling teams like Marist (one win team), Stonehill (who?), Florida State (8 game losing streak), and Oregon (probably will not win another match this season). Cal may be favored against Xavier but will probably be and underdog for all the rest of their games.
• California is back in postseason play for the first time since 2017 with its spot in the 2026 National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
• The Golden Bears (21-11) host UIC (19-15) in the NIT first round at 8 p.m. PT on Wednesday (March 18) at Haas Pavilion.
• The NIT second round game, featuring the Cal-UIC and Colorado State-Saint Joseph's winners, will take place on Sunday (March 22).
• Cal could host three rounds of the 32-team NIT competition at Haas Pavilion.
• The NIT semifinals and final will take place in Indianapolis, with semis set for Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse and the championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse — home of the Indiana Pacers and Fever.
It feels important for MBB to show to campus leadership and the donor class that the program is worth investing in now. An NIT run would be proof positive that Madsen has them on an upward trajectory and those investments will pay off. LET'S GO!
The No. 5 California women's swimming & diving team is set for the 2026 NCAA Championships this week at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The four-day meet, which is being held at the same site as this year's ACC Championships, begins Wednesday morning and wraps up Saturday evening. Prelims will start at 7 a.m. PT each day with the finals coming at 3 p.m. PT.
The California baseball team is set for another four-game week hosting UConn in its $2 Tuesday game before heading out for its first ACC road trip this weekend at Boston College
Looking at the box score, there was plenty of wildness and poor location, too. To wit -
BC issued 10 walks and 3 wild pitches on 226 pitches by 6 pitchers, none of whom lasted more than 2 and a third innings (starter Drew Grumbles, who threw 46 pitches).
UConn issued 9 walks and 2 wild pitches on 184 pitches by 10 pitchers, none of whom lasted more than 1 and a third inning (starter Tristan Aasland, who threw 36 pitches).
TIL learned there's a thing called the College Basketball Crown tournament. It's sponsored by Fox, played in Las Vegas, and it's an 8 team bracket of only teams from major basketball conferences. There's some automatic bids for the Big Ten, Big East, and big12 (not the ACC).
The tournament awards $300,000 to the champion, $100,000 to the runner-up, and $50,000 each to the semifinalists, paid via brand ambassador deals. Some teams are actually forgoing NIT bids to play in it.
You know what the College Basketball Crown feels like? During FIFA's international soccer windows, national teams will be paid by betting sites to play each other in a neutral site with empty stadiums. The game will attract sufficient wagering to make it worth while for the promoter.
So, yeah, let's do that with college kids. Not fishy or awful at all.
ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE
Behind LA Tech's 20 game football season
https://frontofficesports.com/inside-the-conference-fight-that-left-louisiana-tech-with-20-games/
Word games and diversions
Wordle
Magnificent
Wordle 1,732 2/6*
🟩⬛🟩⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Well done!
Wordle 1,732 3/6
🟨🟩🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Wordle bot got it In 1!
WTF ..
That’s strange. Here’s the Wordlebot message I got:
“Here’s how I would have solved it on my own. Today it took us the same number of guesses. Excellent job.”
Wordlebot got it in 3, same as I did.
Is there more than one Wordlebot?
Answering my own question, if you’re playing in hard mode (I’m not), maybe there are two Wordlebots.
i would be interested to know if the avg solve is quicker/shorter w/ hard mode. my guess is that it would be.
Wordle 1,732 4/6
🟨🟩🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
This felt disappointing given my start.
Connections
Connections
Puzzle #1010
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
I still do Connections, although it frequently drives me crazy.
I’m not always great at Connections but somehow recently had a 28 day streak.
Pips
Pips #212 Easy 🟢
0:22
Pips #212 Medium 🟡
1:28
Pips #212 Hard 🔴
1:44
St Patty's Day
St. Patty's Day is REALLY a thing here in the State of New York. I felt like in the Bay Area people would wear green and it was a nice excuse to have a pint, maybe. But in these parts, on parade day, you'd better go out and get yourself a hat so you have something to hold the F onto.
it is also my bro-in-law's bday. he always takes the day off from work, and hangs out as some Irish pub all day starting about 1200p.
last year i drove down to Philly for this for the first time. if i had planned it better i would be there right now. Tue's are harder for heavy day-drinking since i teach my class at 700p
Teach class from the pub
maybe i'll head down to the Dead Rabblt (a fun cocktail bar downtown) that has a great selection of Irish whiskey
The main difference between whisky (no 'e') and whiskey (with 'e') is geographical, generally denoting the country of origin rather than the liquid itself. Whisky typically refers to spirits produced in Scotland, Canada, Japan, and Australia, while whiskey is generally used for products from Ireland and the United
Jameson Irish Whiskey holds a special place in the hearts of people here. I think everyone recognizes that it's not top shelf stuff, but that means that people grew up drinking it. It's probably the area's most comfortable and familiar spirit, and the most gifted.
We have a grand nephew whose first name is Jameson. Honestly, I cannot fathom why anyone would willingly give their children that first name.
Unless your name is James and you've got Nordic roots.
Or your father is James and you've got Nordic roots.
Even so, I'd argue that (1) it should be spelled Jamesson in that case and (2) why would you deliberately give your child up to likely ridicule because his first name is the same as a well-known whiskey.
EDIT: we recently had an employee (who is probably 40+) whose initials are KKK. This is an example of child abuse, in my mind. What parent gives their child a name whose initials translate to a hate group?
TIL that "Dead Rabbit" refers to an Irish Catholic gang active in Manhattan from the 1830s to the 1850s.
Wikipedia has a page here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Rabbits
Top O' Ta Mornin To Ya
Pro
Game 68 wrap: W’s beat Wizards; Porzingis pours in 30, Melton adds 27, Kerr wins 600th game as coach
https://dubnationhq.com/p/game-68-wrap-early-gsw-at-was-4pm
Tyler Mahle fans 6, offense hitless when it counts
Giants lose 3-1 against the Padres while veteran arm Mahle shows off punch-out stuff
https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/san-francisco-giants-scores-standings-nl-west/104038/sf-giants-spring-training-tyler-mahle-luis-matos-mlb-2026
Tyler Glasnow pitches into the fifth inning, Dodgers lose 24-9
https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-scores-standings/111422/dodgers-brewers-game-recap
The Dodgers opened up their final week of Cactus League play with a lopsided defeat against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, relinquishing a seven-run lead and falling 24-9.
3 TDs and a FG to 3 FGs.
Glasnow takes a seven-run lead into the fifth and gets a no-decision.
Once Japan lost against Venezuela in the quarter finals of the WBC on Saturday, I cancelled my flight and hotels and listed my championship game ticket on StubHub. It took a while but it got sold immediately following last night's game ended. So I have to thank Venezuela for winning last night.
Cal
Go Bears!!!
[LAX] Second-Half Run Lifts Bears Over Marist
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/16/lacrosse-second-half-run-lifts-bears-over-marist.aspx
BERKELEY - The California lacrosse team (5-6) scored 10 consecutive goals in the second half to turn a two-point deficit midway through the third period into a runaway 18-10 victory over Marist (1-7) in a nonconference game at California Memorial Stadium on Monday. The 18 goals were Cal's season high.
Yay! Good thing we're scheduling teams like Marist (one win team), Stonehill (who?), Florida State (8 game losing streak), and Oregon (probably will not win another match this season). Cal may be favored against Xavier but will probably be and underdog for all the rest of their games.
[MBB] Cal Opens NIT Action Wednesday With UIC At Haas
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/16/mens-basketball-cal-opens-nit-action-wednesday-with-uic-at-haas.aspx
BEAR BITES
• California is back in postseason play for the first time since 2017 with its spot in the 2026 National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
• The Golden Bears (21-11) host UIC (19-15) in the NIT first round at 8 p.m. PT on Wednesday (March 18) at Haas Pavilion.
• The NIT second round game, featuring the Cal-UIC and Colorado State-Saint Joseph's winners, will take place on Sunday (March 22).
• Cal could host three rounds of the 32-team NIT competition at Haas Pavilion.
• The NIT semifinals and final will take place in Indianapolis, with semis set for Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse and the championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse — home of the Indiana Pacers and Fever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj0JcM_kerc
It feels important for MBB to show to campus leadership and the donor class that the program is worth investing in now. An NIT run would be proof positive that Madsen has them on an upward trajectory and those investments will pay off. LET'S GO!
[WSWIM] No. 5 Cal Heads To NCAA Championships
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/16/womens-swimming-diving-no-5-cal-heads-to-ncaa-championships.aspx
The No. 5 California women's swimming & diving team is set for the 2026 NCAA Championships this week at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The four-day meet, which is being held at the same site as this year's ACC Championships, begins Wednesday morning and wraps up Saturday evening. Prelims will start at 7 a.m. PT each day with the finals coming at 3 p.m. PT.
[BASE] Cal Hosts UConn, Visits Boston College
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/16/baseball-cal-hosts-uconn-visits-boston-college.aspx
The California baseball team is set for another four-game week hosting UConn in its $2 Tuesday game before heading out for its first ACC road trip this weekend at Boston College
Apropos to this: BC beat UConn 26-19 a week ago. There were eight HBP.
https://uconnhuskies.com/sports/baseball/stats/2026/boston-college/boxscore/25274
Looking at the box score, there was plenty of wildness and poor location, too. To wit -
BC issued 10 walks and 3 wild pitches on 226 pitches by 6 pitchers, none of whom lasted more than 2 and a third innings (starter Drew Grumbles, who threw 46 pitches).
UConn issued 9 walks and 2 wild pitches on 184 pitches by 10 pitchers, none of whom lasted more than 1 and a third inning (starter Tristan Aasland, who threw 36 pitches).
Really doesn't feel like baseball weather in the northeast
College Basketball Crown
TIL learned there's a thing called the College Basketball Crown tournament. It's sponsored by Fox, played in Las Vegas, and it's an 8 team bracket of only teams from major basketball conferences. There's some automatic bids for the Big Ten, Big East, and big12 (not the ACC).
The tournament awards $300,000 to the champion, $100,000 to the runner-up, and $50,000 each to the semifinalists, paid via brand ambassador deals. Some teams are actually forgoing NIT bids to play in it.
I hate it here.
You know what the College Basketball Crown feels like? During FIFA's international soccer windows, national teams will be paid by betting sites to play each other in a neutral site with empty stadiums. The game will attract sufficient wagering to make it worth while for the promoter.
So, yeah, let's do that with college kids. Not fishy or awful at all.